Forget the gym. We're not kidding. A new study has found that just short bouts of stair climbing or 'stair snacking' in a day are good for cardiovascular health and overall fitness.

Do you find it hard to feel motivated to exercise? Think it’s too expensive to go to the gym? Now, there seems to be an easier and cheaper solution for fitness, weight loss and good cardiovascular health. A new research has found that a few minutes of stair climbing called the ‘stair snacking’ approach, at short intervals between work, can improve cardiovascular health. The study showed that virtually anyone can improve their fitness, anywhere and any time throughout the day.

What is stair snacking?

Stair snacking (unfortunately) doesn’t mean snacking while climbing stairs. Stair snacking is a form of exercise snacking which is basically performing short bouts of exercise several times in a day. These could include walking, climbing stairs or running. For this study, the researchers studied the health benefits of performing short bouts of climbing stairs in a day. For the study, one group of sedentary young adults vigorously climbed a three-flight stairwell, three times per day. They repeated the protocol three times each week over the course of six weeks. According to Martin Gibala, professor at McMaster University in Canada, ‘those who work in office towers or live in apartment buildings can vigorously climb a few flights of stairs in the morning, at lunch, and in the evening and know they are getting an effective workout.’ The findings, published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism, showed that stair snacking approach is very effective for good heart health and overall fitness.

“Vigorously climbing a few flights of stairs on your coffee or bathroom break during the day seems to be enough to boost fitness in people who are otherwise sedentary,” said Jonathan Little, assistant professor at the University of British Columbia in Canada.

How stair snacking can help you

Climbing stairs is essentially a cardio exercise and has plenty of health benefits. A study published in the journal Menopause says that climbing stairs offers the benefits of both aerobic and resistance exercise. It may not only improve cardiorespiratory fitness but also leg muscle strength. It also offers the additional benefits of lowering blood pressure and arterial stiffness — thickening and stiffening of the arterial wall — fat loss, improved lipid profiles, and reduced risk of osteoporosis, the findings showed. Climbing stairs requires you to work against gravity and hence you burn three times more calories climbing the stairs than walking, for the same amount of time, according to Dr Akshat Chadha, Hope and Care Clinic, Navi Mumbai. Stair snacking can also give a work out to your hamstrings and gluteal muscles to improve blood circulation in the lower body and hence prevent muscle cramps and muscle fatigue. if done regularly, it also works on your core muscles. Stair snacking is also excellent for burning calories. This works well for increasing your metabolism. Stair snacking can also help keep your blood sugar in control and is hence excellent for diabetics.

How to make the most of stair snacking

Now that it has been established that stair snacking is good for overall fitness and health, it is important to know how to make the most of this form of exercise. A study by the University of Roehampton found that climbing one step at a time burns more calories than leaping up several stairs. So if you’re the sort who is always in a hurry and and thinks that taking more than one step at once will help you burn more calories, you’re wrong. The study said that climbing five flights of stairs five times a week — an ascent of around 15 metres — burnt an average of 302 calories if the stairs were taken one at a time whereas taking two steps with every stride burnt only 260 calories.

According to the study. the greater total energy expenditure of one-step ascents must be partly explained by the fact it takes longer. Also, taking the stairs one at a time may result in faster rates of muscle shortening, which increases energy turnover.

Disclaimer: TheHealthSite.com does not guarantee any specific results as a result of the procedures mentioned here and the results may vary from person to person. The topics in these pages including text, graphics, videos and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only and not to be substituted for professional medical advice.